Saturday, April 7, 2012

7 months!

7 months! Holy bananas! The days sneak by so fast. It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing 2 tiny little boys home from the hospital. And now? They're not so tiny anymore! I don't have official weights for them this month. I'll try to get some for next month, but I'm guessing they're right around 20 pounds now. Their personalities are shining through more and more every day. We can tell the difference in their voices from across the house and are able to predict their reactions to certain situations. Their temperaments, tastes, and even sleeping positions are completely different!

Beckett

Beckett's smile could light up a room. We have started calling him "hambone" and "hammy face" because when he smiles he looks like a total ham. He is such a happy, content baby. I can put him on the floor with a few toys in front of him and he's perfectly fine for awhile. This can be a little frustrating when it comes to his progress in physical therapy (or lack thereof), but it's becoming clear that it's simply his laid-back personality shining through. He is making progress though. He's sitting independently very well for a few minutes at a time and spins around on his belly quite a bit to follow his crazy brothers around. We're working on getting him stronger so that he can keep up with them someday.

As I said, the boys sleeping positions and taste in foods are even vastly different. Beckett hasn't cared much for fruits, and instead prefers peas, avocados, and even hummus. But he's a cooperative, calm eater and will even open his mouth for foods he's not too keen on. Beckett has begun sleeping better during the day. It took a lot of trial and error, but we have almost perfected the secrets to get him to do so. He likes to be snuggled, rocked, and fed to sleep. Sometimes he likes to use a binky to relax. He also has to be on top of a fleece blanket with a fleece & satin "lovey" in his arms. He actually likes to sleep with it over his face, which of course freaks us out. Beckett sleeps on his back and rarely moves from the spot we put him. In fact, only in the past few days has he started rolling over in his bed occasionally.

Like I said in the family update, Beckett loved the beach. He seems to love water in general as he also liked swimming in the pool and always loves to splash in the bathtub. He was sporting his famous "hammy smile" during much of his experiences in the water at the beach and pool. I can't wait to watch him grow up at the beach!

Kiernan

Oh, Kiernan. After one particularly trying day, I told Brian that Kiernan will be the kid that I have to tell to be quiet 100 times per day, but he'll never be able to because he has one volume - loud. That boy shrieks and squeals and screams louder than any baby I've ever heard. Happy squeals, giddy squeaks, angry screams - they're all ear-piercing. And the whining. Oh, the whining! He needs lots of attention and if he doesn't get it or you walk away from him sooner than he'd like, he whines. But boy, does he make up for all of that with his sweet smile and wide-open-mouth "kisses".

Kiernan is a MOVER. He's already giving me a run for my money. In early March he started getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. Over the past few weeks he's been getting stronger and moving more. He does what his physical therapist calls the "inchworm" to get around. It's adorable. He just never stops moving. Every time I go to get him from his bed, he's up on all fours, rocking back and forth, slamming his face into the bumper pad because he's so excited to see me. He has a little more trouble sitting independently because he's so fidgety, but he's working hard at it. With all of his mobility, Kiernan is getting into more and more of Brennan's toys. He seems to take a liking especially to cars, just like his big brother. The trouble is that Matchbox cars are scattered every few feet in our house and it's tough to keep him away from these little choking hazards. Lucky for us, Brennan is starting to catch on that if he keeps his most prized toys out of the family room, the boys can't get them.

Kiernan can't get enough of bananas and pears.He loves them, but gets so excited that he dive bombs the spoon and forgets to open his mouth, so he just ends up smearing food all over his face.I'm working on helping him remember to sit back and open up so I can shovel it in faster for him!